JAMES McPAKE trudged off the Hampden turf in May after the Scottish Cup Final a beaten man – but not a broken one.

The big defender knew instantly in the aftermath of the crushing 5-1 hammering from capital rivals Hearts that his future lay with Hibs.

The on-loan Coventry City defender who captained the Easter Road outfit in that disastrous end-of-season showpiece vowed to return to the Leith club as he felt he had unfinished business with them.

And true to his word the 28-year-old signed a two-year deal with Pat Fenlon’s men last month.

He insisted he could not bear to leave the club on such a sour note and that he owed it to the magnificent Hibs fans to help restore the glory days to Easter Road.

But McPake admitted he is still so haunted by that Hampden nightmare he can not bring himself to watch a re-run.

He said: “That defeat by Hearts left a sour taste in my mouth all summer. Not a day has gone by when I have not thought about it.

“I haven’t seen it again and I never will. The Hibs fans have been waiting since 1902 to win that cup and we felt on the day we could deliver.

“That was one of the main reasons I was desperate to return. I felt I owed it to the fans to help make them successful again. I could not go on such a low.

“I wanted to come back and help them climb the SPL table. I also wanted to do my utmost to bring this club success – let’s just say there is unfinished business as far as I am concerned.

“The supporters have been fantastic to me and I have never felt this way at a club before – there was a bond between us.

DRAFTED

“They were maybe apprehensive at the start because I was on loan and then I was made captain but I think my performances showed that I cared and that was the biggest thing for them.”

McPake admitted that even being drafted into the Northern Ireland squad – he made his international debut against Holland during a 6-0 drubbing back in June – could not help him get over the Cup Final loss.

He said: “Making my debut for my country was fantastic but it did not take away the Scottish Cup Final result.

“I managed to get Klass-Jan Huntelaar’s jersey and my wife Dawn put that top alongside my Northern Ireland debut shirt in a double frame because it was my first international.

“I don’t know where the cup final jersey is though!”

Now McPake reckons last season’s second-bottom side can mount a challenge and finish runners-up to Celtic. With Rangers out of the SPL he believes Celts will stroll to the SPL title but McPake reckons Hibs are just as good as any other side.

Those comments will cause eyebrows to be raised but he insists a club like Hibs should set the bar high.

McPake, who jetted out with the rest of his team-mates today on their eight-day tour of Holland, Belgium and Germany, said: “It is hard to comment on what the SPL will be like without Rangers.

POSITIVE

“As a player you want to play at Celtic Park and Ibrox because they are two great arenas. Of all the places I have played, both those stadiums stand out because you are in front of full-houses.

“The positive to come out of all of this is the chance for a club to finish second. Celtic are by far the best team and will win the league comfortably. I don’t think any other team will argue with that if they do then they are indulging in a bit of kidology.

“There is an opportunity for someone to finish second and at a club like Hibs you have to aim high.

“People will say I am being a bit silly as we were second bottom last season but nobody thought Motherwell would have finished third last season, did they?”

Meanwhile, Hibs boss Fenlon has revealed that trialists Mark Kerr and Alan Maybury will not be joining the capital club on their pre-season tour.